Ten pound poms

Australia's approach to immigration is confusing. As a country with some of the toughest immigration restrictions in the world, it is better known for banishing refugees to detention centres in the desert than actively seeking migrants, but that is exactly what John Howard's government has decided to do. This week there's been much talk of a revival of the "£10 pom", the programme that assisted more than a million Britons in the two decades after the second world war in beginning a new life on the other side of the world. But the reality of the current migration drive is quite different.

Australia's approach to immigration is confusing. As a country with some of the toughest immigration restrictions in the world, it is better known for banishing refugees to detention centres in the desert than actively seeking migrants, but that is exactly what John Howard's government has decided to do.

This week there's been much talk of a revival of the "£10 pom", the programme that assisted more than a million Britons in the two decades after the second world war in beginning a new life on the other side of the world. But the reality of the current migration drive is quite different.

With the initial push focusing on London, Amsterdam, Berlin and Chennai, and future recruitment planned for Seoul, Bangkok, Los Angeles and Manila, potential migrants will be expected to conform to strict criteria aimed at plugging Australia's skills shortage.

The list of desirable migrants includes the obvious - doctors, tradesman and engineers - as well as more unusual groups, such as pastry chefs and hairdressers. But it's not quite as straightforward as the department for immigration suggests. Even with the right skills, applicants must fulfil a points quota, where marks are accrued for things such as willingness to live in areas with dwindling populations and severe labour shortages (Bullamakanka not Sydney).

Unsurprisingly, the Labor opposition leader, Kim Beazley, believes the government's got it all wrong and that there's a better way to tackle Australia's skills shortage. He wants to look at how to lure back the 900,000 skilled Australians who live and work abroad. With tens of thousands of skilled young professionals leaving every year, ironically many for the UK, he might be on to something.

Beazley hasn't yet elaborated on how he plans to do this, but perhaps winning a general election and doing away with some of those detention centres would be a good start.

Sign up for the Guardian Today

Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.